Harry Potter and the Chest of Promises
by cheerchick2001enm
Summary: My first fanfic, updated from this summer. It's Harry's 5th year at Hogwart: You-Know-Who is on the loose, the magical community fears for the next attack, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione learn more about what exactly makes Hogwarts so safe.
1. Default Chapter

HARRY POTTER and the CHEST OF PROMISES  
  
Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo! With the chirping of his Aunt Petunia's hideous new cuckoo clock, Harry Potter awoke to his fifteenth birthday. Harry turned on the lamp on his nightstand and peered at his reflection in the mirror. He certainly didn't look any different than he had yesterday. His thick, black hair was the same unruly mess it always had been, and his bright green eyes hadn't changed a bit. And then, of course, was the thin, lightning-bolt shaped scar in the middle of his forehead, an ever-present reminder of Lord Voldemort, the dark wizard who had killed his parents. Harry turned off the lamp and sat in his bed, thinking. In a few short weeks he would be returning to his beloved school, Hogwarts, as a fifth-year student. He couldn't believe that he was a fifth-year already. It seemed like only yesterday when Hagrid, the groundskeeper and a teacher at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, had explained to him that he was a wizard.   
  
Until his eleventh birthday, Harry had not known anything about the wizarding world. After his parents died, his non-magic aunt and uncle, the Dursley's, had become his legal guardians. They decided not to tell Harry the truth about his parents, who were heroes in the wizarding world. But there was no way of stopping Harry from finding out the truth about everything, and here he was, about to enter his fifth year at Hogwarts. There was a sharp rapping at the window, and Harry recognized his snowy white owl, Hedwig. The means of communication in the wizarding world were owls, and Hedwig had come bearing several gifts. Hedwig flew into the corner of Harry's bedroom and began nibbling at some feed Harry had set out for her. Two large, neon-green and pink birds followed her. After the exotic-looking birds came Pig, the owl of one of Harry's best friends, Ron Weasley, along with another owl Harry had never seen before. Each bird carried a package, and Harry eagerly untied them from the birds' feet and began to open them. Hedwig carried a white envelope with a yellow note inside.  
  
Harry,  
Hope you're well. Me 'n Fang're doin' fine, and we've got a special surprise fer yeh, when yeh get back ter school, sumthin' exciting. Hope yer birthday's a good 'un!  
Best wishes,  
Rubeus Hagrid  
  
Harry chuckled as he read Hagrid's letter. He was a bit nervous about the 'surprise', though-Hagrid's idea of fun was breeding new types of animals-each one more dangerous than the last. Harry shuddered as he remembered last year's Blast-Ended Skrewts in Hagrid's class, Care of Magical Creatures. In the brown-paper package was a birthday cake which weighed about as much as a bowling ball.  
  
The brightly-colored birds held a letter from Sirius Black, Harry's godfather, who was currently evading the law for a crime he hadn't committed. Harry unfolded the letter anxiously.  
  
Dear Harry,  
It's hard to believe that you're fifteen already. It seems like just yesterday your parents were telling me that I was going to be your godfather...Harry, I know that if your parents were alive today, they would be so proud of you. I'm still in hiding, but maybe not for long. I've been working out a plan with a few wizards, who shall remain anonymous. If all goes well, I may be seeing you as soon as you return to Hogwarts. Remember, Harry, always be careful of situations that may be more than what they appear to be. Never go anywhere alone, and please don't do anything that isn't allowed at Hogwarts. I know how it is, Harry-remember, your father and I were quite the mischief-makers ourselves at your age-but with everything that's been going on lately, it's really best to stay out of trouble. Even what seems to be the most harmless of practical jokes could result in tragedy. I don't mean to scare you, but you understand. You were there last year after the Triwizard Tournament. You saw it all, Harry, and you know what the consequences could be if you aren't careful.  
On a lighter note, I wish you luck in Quidditch matches, schoolwork, and everything else you choose to do at Hogwarts. If something should happen to prevent my arrival at Hogwarts, send Hedwig with a letter so we can keep in contact. And again, Harry, always act with utmost caution!  
Sirius  
  
Harry read Sirius' letter again, knowing that his godfather was completely right in telling him to always be on guard. After all, Lord Voldemort had returned to full power the year before, and Harry had been there to witness it... Voldemort had killed his friend and fellow Hogwarts student, Cedric Diggory, after the Triwizard Tournament, a prestigious championship between wizards from Hogwarts school as well as Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, two other European wizarding schools. Harry and Cedric had been about to win the final task of the tournament, finding the Triwizard Cup. As they both grasped the handles of it, they found that the cup was a Portkey and transported them into a place where Lord Voldemort and several of his supporters were gathered. Harry had managed to escape after watching Lord Voldemort kill Cedric just as he had killed Harry's parents. Harry told himself to snap out of it and forced the painful memories of last year out of his mind. He opened the present from Sirius and found a delicious-looking birthday cake, chocolate-chip cookies, and a book about Quidditch, his favorite sport.  
  
Next, he untied the package from Pig and opened the envelope attached to it. A card was inside. The front featured exploding fireworks, brightly-costumed dancers, and balloons swirling around everything. As Harry opened the card, an earsplitting noise made his heart start pounding. Then he chuckled as he realized what he was hearing was the entire Weasley family-all nine of them-singing "Happy Birthday, dear Harry...". After a few notes, Harry closed the card, praying the Dursley's hadn't been woken up by the shrill sound. Harry opened the box eagerly and found a knitted robe of bright scarlet with a large 'H' on the front, a small, green tin, a rather plain-looking piece of toffee, and a small gold book entitled, "Snatching The Snitch: Stupendous Strategies for Superior Seekers". At the very bottom of the box were two pieces of parchment. The first was from Fred & George Weasley, Ron's twin brothers, who were two years older than Ron and Harry.  
  
Harry,  
Happy birthday! We made sure Mum didn't notice that we snuck a few extra presents in for you. You've probably noticed the toffee-our very last piece of Ton Tongue Toffee, which we found in our dress robes when we got home from Hogwarts. You can threaten Dudley with it. Inside the green tin are a few other little tricks that'll keep Dudley on his toes. We made them just for you...enjoy!  
  
Sincerely Yours,  
Fred & George  
  
P.S. Thanks again for the galleons.  
  
Last year, Harry had been awarded 1,000 Gold Galleons for winning the Triwizard Tournament. But he had given it to Fred and George, knowing that they needed it much more than he did. Besides, he knew that spending the money would just make him think of how Cedric deserved the money, too, and cause him to remember the whole terrible ordeal. The writing on the next piece of parchment covered the whole page, and Harry recognized Ron's handwriting.  
  
Harry,  
Mum sends her love. She says to tell you that she knitted the robe for you, and it's for practicing Quidditch in. The book is from all of us, but I picked it out. It's new, and it's supposed to be the best book on the market for Seekers. Hope you like it. Look, Harry, there's bad news, and I think you deserve to know. Mum & Dad said I shouldn't tell you, but sooner or later, you were bound to find out. Three people have been killed, Harry-three separate incidents in June and July-by You-Know-Who. No one we know, but all of them are from England. Mum's mad with worry about you, Harry, and Dad's working day and night at the Ministry. They're trying to keep things hush-hush-there are still some people who don't believe You-Know-Who's back. The articles in the Daily Prophet just said that the murderer was unknown, but Dad says they've got proof that You-Know-Who did it. Dad also says that things at Hogwarts are going to be really different this year-they've got to really protect us now that You-Know-Who's back. We won't be allowed to go to Hogsmeade and probably won't be allowed to roam around the school like we did before-going to see Hagrid and such. Anyhow, I didn't mean to scare you, I just thought you'd want to know. Don't worry too much, Harry-you'll be safe at Hogwarts. Please write me back, Harry-because of what's happened, Dad said it's best that we don't invite you to stay with us this summer.  
Ron  
  
Harry sank back onto his bed, not believing what Ron's letter had said. Three killings-Voldemort really had returned to power. Harry had been afraid something like this would happen, but now it was real. Sirius must've not wanted me to be afraid, Harry realized. That's why he didn't mention it. But I'm not afraid! I've faced Voldemort before and I'll face him again. Harry wanted to get this startling news out of his mind, so he opened the green tin from Fred and George. Inside were several labeled objects. Harry chuckled as he picked up a candy bar, of which the label read 'Will disappear whenever someone or something tries to eat it'. Then he picked up an ordinary-looking bag of marbles. The label claimed 'Will speak, dance, and sing-but only pudgy teenaged boys will be able to hear'. Next was the gum 'guaranteed to taste like spinach' and the 'insulting' peanut-butter & jelly sandwich, which would mutter insults with every bite. Finally was a piece of candy which would make anyone who ate it turn into a goose. Harry laughed as he pictured Dudley as a goose, but knew that if he ever used the candy Uncle Vernon would probably kill him. Harry put all of the objects back into the tin and hid them in his bureau, in case Dudley ever really got on his nerves. Finally, Harry turned to the last owl, the one he had never seen before.  
  
Dear Harry,  
Happy 15th birthday! This is the owl my parents gave me for my last birthday. I named him Viktor, after Viktor Krum. I was ever so pleased when Mother and Father allowed me to visit him for two weeks at his home. It's simply amazing, this enormous mansion built entirely UNDERGROUND. And his parents seemed very nice, a bit strict, but nice. Anyway, Viktor's going to be travelling all over once the Quidditch season starts up, and we've decided to write often, and to remain close friends-and just that, no matter what you and Ron think! Anyhow, I've finished my summer reading and all my assignments-I'm taking Advanced Potions and Advanced Charms as well as Advanced Transfiguration plus the regular classes. I wonder who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher will be...Ron hasn't heard anything. Ron and I have been keeping in touch by owl post, and Harry, everything's so terrible right now with You-Know-Who back...Well, I'll see you in a few weeks, on Platform 9 & ¾, hope you enjoy this little gift!  
With love,  
Hermione  
  
Harry smiled as he read Hermione's letter. It was just like Hermione to finish all her summer work and take three advanced classes. Ron and Harry were only taking one-Advanced Charms. Harry eagerly opened his gift. A slip of parchment attached to a newspaper told him that Hermione had purchased him one month's subscription to the Daily Prophet, a wizarding newspaper, so he would get the news in the weeks before he left for Hogwarts. She had also gotten Harry a book called "Practical Charms & More: A Guide to Hundreds of Charms", which would surely prove useful in Advanced Charms. Finally, Harry lifted up a picture frame which showed a photo of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, all grinning after Harry had excelled in the first task of the Triwizard Tournament, capturing a golden egg from a dangerous, fire-breathing dragon. As in all wizarding pictures, the people in the photograph were moving-Ron was waving and beaming, Hermione was squeezing Harry's shoulders proudly, and Harry was blushing and running his hand through his disheveled hair.  
  
Harry checked the clock. It was now almost 1:00 a.m. Although he was tired, he decided to write out thank-you notes so he wouldn't have to do it later when the Dursley's were awake. He jotted off a few words to Hagrid and then composed a two-paged letter to Sirius, detailing his plans for the year, classes, and a promise to keep out of trouble. Then Harry wrote two separate notes for the Weasley's-one for the entire family, and one for Fred & George. His letters to Ron and Hermione were nearly identical-he told them that he wasn't afraid of Voldemort, thanked them for the gifts, and told them to meet him at 9:00 a.m. at Platform 9 & ¾, the secret platform at King's Cross train station that was only accessible by wizards. There, they would board the Hogwarts Express, the train that took students to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry.  
  
By the time Harry was done writing, it was almost 2:30 a.m. He sent the owls and tropical birds away with the thank-you notes, turned out the lights, and went to sleep.  
  
***  
Three and a half weeks later, Harry was standing in front of King's Crossing station, holding two trunks and Hedwig in her cage. The Dursleys sped away without so much as a good-bye, and Harry headed toward Platform 9. While other passengers either stayed on Platform 9 or moved toward Platform 10, Harry walked straight into the barrier between the two platforms. But instead of crashing into the wall, he passed through it into Platform 9 & ¾. There, he saw five redheads struggling with at least ten trunks. Harry rushed up to them.  
"Why, hello, Harry!" cried Fred (or was it George?) Weasley.   
"How's it going, Harry?" the other twin asked.  
"Hey, Harry! You're here!" Ron said, grinning. Ginny Weasley, the youngest sibling and the only girl, blushed. She had had a crush on Harry ever since she'd met him.  
"Look, Mummy, Harry!" she said, tugging on Mrs. Weasley's blouse. Mrs. Weasley, who had been fiddling with a lock on one of the trunks, looked up. Before Harry knew what was happening, she had engulfed him in a bear hug and was squeezing him so hard he could barely breathe.  
"Oh, Harry!" she cried, her eyes welling up with tears. "I'm so glad you're all right! I've been so dreadfully worried...what with all these...well, never mind that. You're here, and that's all that matters," Mrs. Weasley rambled on.  
"Hey, look, there's Hermione!" Ron said, waving to her. Mr. and Mrs. Granger accompanied their daughter.  
"Hello," Mrs. Granger smiled. "So nice to see you all again." Mr. Granger looked a little overwhelmed at all the witches and wizards climbing aboard the train.  
"Well, we'd best get going," he said, kissing Hermione on the top of her head. "Have a good, safe year." Mrs. Granger followed suit and soon they hurried out of the platform.  
"They told me they feel a bit uncomfortable here," Hermione explained. Mrs. Weasley nodded understandingly, then went back to the lock on the trunk. Fred and George began to load the trunks onto the station, and Ginny spotted a fellow fourth-year, leaving Harry, Ron, and Hermione alone.  
"I haven't told my parents about the articles in the Daily Prophet," Hermione confessed. "If they knew that You-Know-Who was back, they might've not let me come back to Hogwarts," she said, sighing.  
"It's better they didn't know," Ron said. Harry nodded in agreement.  
"Let's load our bags onto the train, and pick out seats," Hermione suggested. The boys followed her onto the Hogwarts Express, which was packed with witches and wizards. Suddenly, Ron gave Harry a swift kick in the shins.  
"What's the idea?" Harry asked.  
"Look at that girl we just passed, on the left. She's amazing..." Ron sighed, staring at the girl. Harry glanced at her, trying not to seem too obvious. She looked to be about sixteen or seventeen, with long, dark hair, and bright green eyes. She was tall and slender and very attractive, Harry thought. He didn't even realize that he and Ron had stopped, and were blocking the entrance to one of the compartments.  
"Oh, will you two hurry up?" Hermione groaned impatiently. "We've got to find seats right away or we'll have to sit by Malfoy or someone!" she warned them, naming Harry's greatest enemy at Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy. The boys hurried along, and soon they found three seats together, in a compartment with three students who were in the same house, Gryffindor, and were their friends: Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, and Seamus Finnigan.   
As Harry laughed and joked with his friends, he forgot all about Lord Voldemort and the danger that surrounded him. Then the train pulled up at Hogwarts and Harry was jolted into reality. Harry, Ron, and Hermione dragged their luggage along the path to Hogwarts. Every time Harry came, there seemed to be a mist around the castle, which was fantastically enormous. There were dozens of turrets, balconies, and beautiful stained-glass windows. Once the students had arrived in the building, they entered the Great Hall, and first-year students were herded into a corner, where they would be sorted into houses by the Sorting Hat. The older students went to the common rooms of their houses. Besides Gryffindor, there was Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione got to the common room, there was a crowd of people lined up at the entrance.  
"No one knows the password," explained Neville Longbottom as his pet toad, Trevor, jumped out of his shirt pocket. Neville, who was forever losing, forgetting, and dropping things, slipped as he chased after Trevor. Seamus Finnigan helped him up.  
"We need to find a prefect-do you know who they are?" Seamus asked. Harry and Ron shook their heads "No" as Fred and George came running through the crowd.  
"Kerfuffle! Kerfuffle!" one of them was chanting.  
"We're prefects! We're prefects!" the other one kept saying.  
The guardian of the Gryffindor House, a portrait of a fat lady, swung open and the students rushed into the common room, talking a million miles a minute. Harry and Ron headed to their room, which they shared with Dean, Seamus, and Neville, on the top floor. When they had unpacked, they went back to the common room, where Fred and George were celebrating.  
"I don't know how it happened-" Fred was saying.  
"Professor McGonagall must be soft for us deep down there somewhere-" George was saying.  
"And we're prefects!" they both shouted together.  
"Mum'll be so happy!" Fred cried.  
"And Percy will never believe it!" George said with glee. Percy was their by-the-book brother who had been a prefect himself. He disapproved of his brothers' antics and often scolded them whenever they played a practical joke.  
"Isn't it time for dinner yet?" Lavender Brown asked. She was a fifth-year like Harry, Ron, and Hermione.  
"Yes, let's go!" Fred declared.  
"Prefects lead the way!" George announced. Just as they opened the door, however, the head of the Gryffindor house, Minerva McGonagall, came flying in.  
"Everyone is staying put!" she told the Gryffindors. "There has been...there has been an attack in this area of England. Professor Dumbledore has ordered us all to stay in our houses. There will be no feast, and we will have dinner in our common room. We held the sorting ceremony an hour ago, and these are the new Gryffindors," she said, gesturing to dozens of students who were huddling in the hallway, looking extremely frightened. No one paid much attention to them, though. Chaos had broken out amongst the Gryffindors.  
"Where was the attack?"  
"Was it a student?"  
"How many were killed?"  
"Who was attacked, Professor?"  
"Was it You-Know-Who?"  
"Is he here?"  
People were screaming and crying and pushing and shoving. Neville ended up on the floor with a black eye and a very sore bottom.  
"Silence!" Professor McGonagall cried, quieting the Gryffindors.  
"We have not received details from the Ministry of Magic yet. When we do, we will be sure to tell you. Please settle down. You are safe as long as you stay in here and do as I tell you," she said sharply. She pulled her wand out of her robe and muttered something. A buffet table appeared with a stack of plates and a punchbowl.  
"Now we are going to have a quiet meal. There will be no foolishness! First-years, you may get your food now. And for Pete's sake, Longbottom, get up off the floor!" Everyone listened to Professor McGonagall and did as she said. Hermione sat on Harry's right, a concerned expression on her face. Ron sat on Harry's left, looking as frightened as the first years. Fred and George sat on either side of Ginny, who had grown very pale and jittery. There was an eery silence in the Gryffindor common room when there was a knock at the door. Several students jumped up or hid behind furniture. Professor McGonagall went to the door as it swung open to reveal Professor Dumbledore.  
"The danger has passed," Dumbledore announced solemnly. "The grounds have been searched thoroughly by Ministry of Magic officials. However, I regret to tell you that two people were killed tonight by Lord Voldemort." Several people gasped at hearing the name of Lord Voldemort. Most witches and wizards called him You-Know-Who out of their fear for him.  
"Professor Dumbledore, please, who was it?" Hermione asked quietly.  
"I cannot tell you that at this time, Miss Granger. The Ministry will not permit it as of yet. Good night." With that, Albus Dumbledore was gone.  
"I'm going to send an owl to Dad," Fred said grimly. "Maybe he can tell us something." George, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Harry nodded in agreement as Fred pulled out a quill and some parchment. Then he went up to his room and sent Errol, the family owl, to deliver the letter.  
Surprisingly, Professor McGonagall went into her room and did not emerge for the rest of the night, not even forcing the Gryffindors to go to bed before curfew. Most of the students stayed up into the wee hours of the morning. Some, like Ginny and Neville, fell asleep there. Harry, Ron, and Hermione talked throughout the whole night. Ron updated Harry and Hermione on what his father had told them about the previous attacks.  
"The three people who You-Know-Who killed-two of them were Aurors, you know, people who fight the dark arts, and one of them was a former Ministry official. Dad said he knew him. He worked for the Defense Against the Dark Arts Department," Ron explained. "But it gets worse. Dad says that a lot of people think that You-Know-Who was gathering information from them before he killed them. And now he's going to try to find the Chest of Promises."  
Hermione gasped, but Harry didn't understand.  
"What's that?" he asked, confused.  
"Harry, I can't believe you sometimes!" Hermione cried, astonished. "The chest is what makes Hogwarts so safe from dark wizards like You-Know-Who. When Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff founded Hogwarts, they decided to create something that would protect Hogwarts forever. So they created a spell of protection that would make it safe here, always. They put the protection in a chest. The chest was buried in a tomb somewhere, but no one knows exactly where. The idea was for no one to ever find it. There are traps and curses surrounding the chest that no one was ever expected to be able to get through. But recently, the ministry of magic has been trying to find it. Because if we don't know where it is, how can we protect it from someone who wants to use it for a bad purpose?" Hermione explained.  
"And if You-Know-Who-or anyone else, for that matter-finds the chest, and destroys it, then Hogwarts isn't safe from anything. Anyone could just Apparate in here, including You-Know-Who!" added Ron.  
"But I don't understand," said Harry. "What makes the chest so powerful?"  
Even Ron looked puzzled at this question.  
"No one knows for sure," Hermione said. "But it must be really powerful, if it's protected Hogwarts all these years." 


	2. Chapter 2

***  
"So...no one has a clue about what's inside this chest?" Harry asked, confused.  
"I'm sure there are theories, Harry," Hermione said matter-of-factly, "I just haven't done very much research on the subject."  
"It's this waiting that's killing me!" Ron said, rather loudly. A few first years jumped out of their seats and hurried into their bedrooms. Most of the Gryffindors had retired to their rooms and were trying to get some sleep. Fred, George, and their best friend Lee Jordan were discussing the latest Quidditch match between the Chudley Cannons and the Wimbourne Wasps.  
"I'm telling you, the Wasps deserved to win! The Cannons' Beater deserved a foul!" George was saying.  
"The referee was blind!" Lee agreed.  
"No! If anyone deserved a foul, it was that Chaser on the Wasps!" Fred shouted. Professor McGonagall, who had been reading, looked up sternly at the twins and Lee.  
"Fred, George, Lee-go straight to your rooms at once!" she said sharply.  
"But Professor, we're prefects!" Fred protested.  
"And I'm still your head of house! Now go along!" Professor McGonagall said firmly. Sighing, Fred started up the stairs for his room, George and Lee following him.  
Now, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were left alone in the common room with Professor McGonagall.  
"Oh, no!" Hermione cried suddenly, her eyes filling with tears. "Oh... that would be terrible...it can't possibly...but..."  
"What's wrong?" Ron asked.  
"Have either of you seen Hagrid today?" Hermione asked hopefully.  
"No, but-You don't think-I mean, erm," Ron stammered, "I haven't seen him all day."  
"Neither have I," said Harry. "But Hagrid couldn't be! He just...he can't!" he cried fiercely. Hagrid was one of the best friends Harry had at Hogwarts, probably his best friend next to Ron and Hermione. Professor McGonagall set down the book she had been reading and walked over.  
"I couldn't help but overhear, and you needn't worry about Hagrid. He is...not in the country at the present. He is, er, performing a task for Professor Dumbledore," she told Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The three of them grinned at each other. Last year, Hagrid had hinted that Professor Dumbledore wanted him to go on a journey to gather the giants of the wizarding world and convince them to join their fight against Lord Voldemort.  
"I am going to go to bed shortly and I suggest the three of you do the same," Professor McGonagall said, but not unkindly. "It's been a rather...hard day. You'll need your rest."  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione nodded and went to their bedrooms. When Harry and Ron entered their room, they saw that Neville, Dean, and Seamus were still awake, talking about the latest attack.  
"Do you think it could've been students, then?" Neville asked, worriedly.  
"I don't know," said Seamus, who was re-tacking his poster of the Ireland Quidditch team. Next, he tacked up a picture of him and his parents. After that, he adjusted Ron's posters of the Chudley Cannons, and Dean's poster of the Weird Sisters, a popular musical group.  
"He's been doing it all night," Dean explained to Harry and Ron. "Can't keep still."  
"This is just too weird for me," Seamus said as he opened the closet door and began rearranging all of the robes inside of it.  
"I wonder if Dad's wrote back to Fred and George yet," Ron mused aloud. "I'm sure he's still at the Ministry."  
"I hope it's no one we know," Dean said, frowning. "That'd be awful."  
Harry, who had remained silent during the entire conversation, got into his bed and pulled the covers up to his chin.  
"I'm going to turn in now, there'll probably be a lot going on tomorrow," Harry told his roommates.  
"Yeah, we'd better all do the same," Dean agreed.  
***  
Someone was tugging at Harry's arm.  
"Harry! Wake up!" It was Ron.  
"What is it, Ron? What time is it?" Harry mumbled sleepily.  
"I don't know...but it's early!" Ron whispered. "Anyway, I've been up-couldn't sleep-and I heard voices, Fred and George have got the owl back. Let's go!"  
Harry swung his legs onto the floor and muttered, "Lumos!" A white light appeared at the tip of his wand as he tiptoed across the room, following Ron through the doorway and down the stairs.  
"Fred! George! It's us!" Ron hissed, rapping on the door.  
"Who's us?" George asked, sounding rather ill-tempered.  
"It's Harry," Harry told them, knowing the twins would open the door for him. Sure enough, the door swung wide open.  
"Harry, why didn't you say so in the first place?" Fred said, ushering him into the room. Ron followed.  
"What did Dad say in the letter?" Ron asked, his brow knitted with concern.  
"Practically nothing," Fred said angrily. George threw a roll of parchment at Ron, and Ron unrolled it.  
  
Dear Fred & George,  
Congratulations at being made prefects, that's absolutely wonderful! Your mum'll be so proud! Please promise me that the two of you won't do anything to endanger yourselves at Hogwarts. Things are bad enough as it is, and no one needs to be worrying about you as well. I can't tell you the specifics of the attack now, you'll find out soon enough. In the meantime, keep out of trouble and make sure Ron and Ginny are all right. Your mum would want me to tell you to also watch out for Harry-although I've got the idea that he can do a fine job of that himself. Even so, keep an eye on him, just in case.  
Love,  
Dad  
  
"As if I need protecting!" Ron sputtered indignantly as he read the letter.  
"I can't believe it-our own father won't tell us who's been killed," Fred told Harry.  
"We'll find out in the morning, I suppose," George said disappointedly.  
"Ron, we'd better get going," Harry said.  
"All right, then. Good-bye," Ron nodded, and the two trudged up the staircase. As they entered the bedroom, Harry held out his wand and whispered, "Nox." The light at the tip of his wand went out, and he climbed into his bed once again.  
"Good night, Ron," he said quietly.  
"'Night, Harry," Ron said sleepily. A few minutes later, Harry heard snores, and knew Ron had gone to sleep. Harry lay awake for another hour or so, wondering who had been killed, if Voldemort was closer to finding the chest Hermione and Ron had told him about, and whether or not classes would begin tomorrow as previously scheduled.  
  
***  
"Are they going to tell us, then?"  
"Hurry up, Neville!"  
"Don't leave, just a minute, please!"  
"What're you missing, again, Neville?"  
"My wand-I swear I left it on the desk!"  
Harry awoke to his roommates' loud conversation early the next morning. When he got out of bed, he stubbed his toe on something pointy.  
"Neville, here's your wand," Harry said, picking a wand up off the floor and throwing it to Neville.  
"Thanks, Harry," Neville said gratefully.  
"Let's go, then," Seamus said, opening up the door.  
"Er-where are we going?" Harry asked, confused, as he pulled on his robes.  
"Dumbledore's called a meeting of all the students, in the Great Hall, during breakfast," Ron explained as Harry went into the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face. When he was done, he followed Ron, Dean, Seamus, and Neville down the stairs and into the common room, where dozens of Gryffindors were milling about.  
"Oh, there you two are!" Hermione cried, spotting them. She had been talking to Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. "Let's go!"  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione elbowed their way through the crowd, pushed on the portrait, and left Gryffindor Tower.  
"I expect Dumbledore'll tell us today who's been attacked," Hermione said anxiously. "People have been saying that it was students, but I can't believe that. I mean..." she trailed off, lost in her thoughts.  
When the three got to the Great Hall, the noise was louder than ever.  
"Oh, there's Potter!" Draco Malfoy called out, sounding disappointed, from the Slytherin table. "I was hoping you'd be too scared to come back!" His Slytherin friends laughed and jeered at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Draco was the Seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team, and he was so jealous of Harry that he went out of his way to make Harry's life miserable each and every time he saw him. Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy, was a high-ranking official at the Ministry of Magic. But Harry knew that Lucius was also one of Voldemort's strongest supporters, a Death Eater. Last year, when Voldemort had risen again, Harry had been surrounded by Death Eaters, and Lucius Malfoy had been one of them. "Oh, and look, it's Weasley, Potter's little sidekick! How's your father, Weasley? Making enough money to feed the whole lot of you?" he yelled, poking fun at Ron's family, which included seven children. Ron tensed and put a hand on his wand.  
"Don't do it, Ron," Harry said warningly. "You'll only regret it."  
"And look at Potter's girlfriend, the Mudblood!" Draco cried. Mudblood was an offensive term for someone born of Muggle parents, like Hermione. Ron's parents were both wizards, but Hermione's were both dentists. Hermione was the only witch in her family.  
"Oh, come off it, Malfoy!" Harry said good-naturedly, and calmly strolled away. Ron followed reluctantly, and Hermione held her head high until they reached the Gryffindor table. There, several students were discussing the identity of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. None of the teachers Harry had been taught by had lasted more than a year.   
Last year's teacher, Mad-Eye Moody, had come out of retirement to teach the class. He had been imprisoned and impersonated by one of Voldemort's supporters, and had made it clear that he wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts.  
"I just hope they didn't give it to Snape," Katie Bell was saying. Katie was a Chaser for the Quidditch team. Professor Snape, Harry's least favorite professor, was the head of the Slytherin house. He taught Potions, but it was widely rumored that he wanted the Defense Against the Dark Arts job.  
"That's odd, though, that no one's seen this teacher yet," Alicia Spinnet said. She was also a Chaser for the Quidditch team.  
"I heard it was a woman," Fred Weasley put in.  
"I heard she's really strict," Lee Jordan added.  
As Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down, the plates in front of them magically filled themselves with crescents, muffins, sausage, eggs, bacon, toast, and pastries. The glasses next to the plates filled with water and orange juice. More and more students filed into the Great Hall and began eating. After a little while, Professor Dumbledore stood up from his position at the head table. A silence fell in the Great Hall.  
"Ladies, gentlemen, teachers; I would like to welcome you back to another year at Hogwarts. It is with deep sorrow and regret that I tell you that there was an attack last night made by Lord Voldemort. Two Gringotts security officials, Herbert and Patricia Midgen, were killed."  
Everyone started talking at once.  
"That's Eloise Midgen's parents!" Hermione gasped. "You know, of Hufflepuff? She told me once that her parents worked for Gringotts."  
Gringotts was the wizarding bank. Ron's older brother Bill worked there as a cursebreaker. The bank consisted of a series of underground passageways and vaults. Wizards kept not only money at Gringotts, but treasured posessions, as well as anything they wanted to keep safe.  
Harry glanced at the Hufflepuff table. Sure enough, Eloise Midgen wasn't there. And at the head table, Professor Sprout, head of the Hufflepuff house, was dabbing at tears with her handkerchief. Although Harry didn't know her too well, he felt terrible for Eloise. He knew exactly how it felt to be an orphan because of Lord Voldemort.  
"I wonder where it happened, and why?" Ron said, looking deep in thought.  
"Poor Eloise," Hermione said, her eyes filling with tears. At the head table, Dumbledore raised his wand for attention. Once again, the Great Hall became very quiet.  
"Even in this time of great tragedy, we must go on. Classes will resume today following lunch. Schedules will be passed out in house common rooms by the prefects. There will be no feast tonight, but I would like to extend a warm welcome right now to all of our first year students. I hope that you will enjoy the first of many years to come in your magical education here at Hogwarts. Also, I would like to welcome Professor Melinda McGonagall-Welsh, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Professor Welsh, as she wishes to be called, is the sister of our very own Transfiguration teacher, Minerva."  
Professor McGonagall pressed her lips together firmly and shook her head, as if she didn't approve of her sister getting the job.  
"Oh, no!" Ron cried. "Two McGonagalls-this year's going to be awful!"  
"Maybe she won't be as bad as Professor McGonagall is," Harry said hopefully. "Not as strict."  
"Oh, she'll be just as bad, I just know it!" Ron insisted.  
"Professor McGonagall isn't half as bad as you make her out to be," said Hermione, who was actually quite fond of Professor McGonagall. "Honestly, if the two of you would just stop fooling around in her class, you'd see that she's a very good teacher," she snapped.  
"Whatever you say, Hermione," Ron said, rolling his eyes.  
"It's true!" Hermione said. "We've probably learned more from her than we have from anyone else at Hogwarts! In fact-"  
"Harry! Harry, hi! How've you been? Mind if I snap a quick photo of you?"  
Hermione had been interrupted by Colin Creevey, a fourth-year who was infatuated with Harry. Every time Colin saw Harry, he had to take a picture or follow him around or offer to do errands for him.  
"Er-all right," Harry said, feeling rather embarrassed.  
"Great! Here, would you mind taking it? Thanks!" Colin shoved his camera into Hermione's hands, then squeezed his head in between Harry and Ron. Hermione took the picture, then handed the camera back to Colin, who was positively beaming with excitement. Colin pulled the photo out of the little slot and held it up for Harry to see. In the picture, Ron was looking a little impatient, Colin was grinning ear-to-ear, and Harry was blushing.  
"Well, we've got to go, Colin," Harry said, eyeing Ron and Hermione meaningfully.  
"Oh, yes, we've got to go to the library," Hermione said, catching on. "Goodbye, now!" And the three of them left Colin, who was looking very confused, standing in the middle of the Great Hall.  
Instead of going to the library, they went back to Gryffindor Tower.  
"Kerfuffle," Hermione said, and the Fat Lady smiled and swung open.  
"I wonder why Professor, what's-her-name, Welsh, wasn't at breakfast," Ron said, taking a seat on one of the comfortable couches in the common room.  
"Yes, that's sort of strange," Hermione agreed. "What do you think, Harry?" But Harry didn't seem to hear her.  
"Harry?" Hermione said, tapping his shoulder.  
"Oh, sorry," said Harry. "I was just thinking, why would Voldemort want to kill the Midgens, if they worked for Gringott's?"  
Hermione and Ron winced when Harry said "Voldemort". Most witches and wizards called Lord Voldemort, "You-Know-Who", as if just saying his name would cause something terrible to happen.  
"Unless...Hermione, could the Chest of Promises be at Gringotts?" Harry asked. Hermione thought for a minute, then shook her head.  
"I don't think so, that would be too easy. But I'll bet that Gringotts helped make sure it was in a safe place, don't you think? They've always been the leading wizarding company in security."  
"Yes, and wouldn't there be records at Gringotts about the chest? Or something that would help to find it, right?" Ron suggested, his eyes lighting up.  
"They've probably even got a committee that's trying to find the trunk before You-Know-Who does," Hermione said.  
"And I'll bet the Midgens were the head of the committee," Harry added. "And that's why Voldemort went to them."  
"I wonder what he found out," Ron muttered. "I wonder if-"  
Ron was interrupted by a flurry of Gryffindors entering the common room at once, Fred and George in the middle of the crowd.  
"Bell, Katie!" Fred was shouting. "Creevey, Colin! Creevey, Dennis!"   
"Weasley, Ron!" George cried, even louder than Fred. "Weasley, Ginny!" The twins were handing out the schedules of classes.  
"Hey, look, we've got Defense Against the Dark Arts right after lunch!" Ron cried when he looked at his schedule. "We'll be Professor Welsh's first class." Hermione grabbed her schedule off of Fred and George and frowned.  
"We've got Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Slytherins, as well as Care of Magical Creatures," she said, groaning. Classes with Slytherins were always the worst because the Slytherins constantly went out of their way to make the Gryffindors look foolish, constantly taunting them and trying to ruin their potions or spells.  
"Yeah, but we've got Herbology with the Hufflepuffs, and History of Magic," Harry pointed out.  
"You two have dropped Divination, I see," Hermione said approvingly. The teacher of Divination, Professor Trelawney, tended to be very overdramatic about her 'Inner Eye'. She had predicted Harry's death throughout the entire term last year, and often warned the class of danger and misfortune which never seemed to occur. Hermione had dropped the class after less than a year, but Ron and Harry had stuck it out for two full terms.  
"I wonder if Hagrid's back yet," Harry said. "Let's go down to his cottage and see if he's there."  
Over the years, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had grown rather attached to Hagrid, who was the Gameskeeper besides being the teacher of Care of Magical Creatures.  
"All right, let's go," Ron said agreeably. "It's not like we're doing much here, anyway." So the three set off for Hagrid's cottage, which he shared with his enormous dog, which was named, quite appropriately, Fang. When they got to the cottage, Harry knocked on the door.  
"Hagrid? Are you home?" Harry called. They heard boots shuffle across the floor. Then the door swung open.  
"Hullo!" Hagrid roared. "Come on in, now! I'll put some tea on. So great ter see yeh, just great. What with all this madness going on...well, it's nice ter see a friendly face, fer a change."  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione grinned at each other. Hagrid was a very intimidating figure: about ten feet tall, with a head of massive, thick dark hair, and a large body; but he was one of the nicest people they'd ever met. As Hagrid prepared the tea, he rambled on.  
"Me 'n Olympe, we had a job of it, let me tell yeh, gatherin' up all those giants. But we didn't do half bad, yeh know. They promised to help us with anythin' we ever need from 'em. Protection and that sort."  
Hagrid was a half-giant, and so was Madame Olympe Maxime, the headmistress of Beauxbatons, another European wizarding school; that was why Dumbledore had sent them to enlist the help of the giants.  
"So, yeh've heard about the Midgens, then?" Hagrid asked.  
"Yes, Dumbledore told us at breakfast," Hermione told him.  
"Terrible thing, that was. Always were nice folks. Very friendly, yeh know. Poor girl's going ter have a rough time of it, always was very sensitive, Eloise was. Don't expect her ter come back ter school fer a few months at least," Hagrid said, frowning. "But yeh don't need to be thinkin' about all that now-hey, Harry, yeh've forgotten!"  
"About what?" Harry said, confused.  
"The surprise I wrote yeh about on yer birthday, remember? All right, I'll get it fer yeh now. Just wait right here a minute..." Hagrid trudged off somewhere to get Harry's "surprise". Hermione and Ron looked at Harry curiously.  
"Oh, Hagrid mentioned something in his birthday letter to me, about a surprise. I just hope it's not a dragon or anything," Harry explained.  
"Or a Blast-Ended Skrewt," Ron added.  
"Or a giant spider," Hermione said.  
But when Hagrid returned, he wasn't carrying a dragon, a Blast-Ended Skrewt, or a giant spider: in his hands was a small creature with four legs, wings, and a beak.  
"A hippogriff!" Hermione said delightedly. "It's adorable!"  
In their third year, they had worked with large winged creatures called hippogriffs, but one had nearly been executed when it had bit Draco Malfoy on the arm. Although it was just a teeny bite, Draco's father had stirred the Ministry of Magic up so much that they had decided to kill the hippogriff without even hearing Hagrid's side of the story. In fact, Draco had caused the attack by provoking the hippogriff, which Hagrid had specifically told him not to do.  
"It's just a baby," Hagrid told Harry, "so yeh'll have to take very good care of it. In fact, I sort of thought yeh'd want to keep it here, because yeh'll have ter when he gets older. They take about a year, hippogriffs, to grow completely, so he'll be pretty small fer a while."  
"Thanks, Hagrid," Harry said, grinning.  
"What're yeh going ter name it, Harry?" Hagrid said, rubbing the hippogriff's stomach.  
"Er, I think I'll call him...Humphrey," Harry decided. "Humphrey the Hippogriff."  
Hagrid showed Harry how to feed Humphrey, and Ron and Hermione took turns holding the tiny hippogriff. Then they had tea and some of Hagrid's rock-hard cakes, and talked about what they each had done over the summer. By the time they knew it, it was almost time for Defense Against the Dark Arts class.  
"Well, we'd better be going, now, class starts in fifteen minutes and we don't want to be late on the first day," Hermione said, standing up.  
"Yeah, goodbye, Hagrid!" Ron said.  
"And thanks again," Harry added, and the three began walking to the castle. When they got to the castle, they rushed up to Gryffindor tower to get their Defense books, then raced down to the Defense Against the Dark Arts room with just a few minutes until class started. To Hermione's surprise, Professor Welsh hadn't arrived yet.  
"Why, she's not even here yet, and this'll be her first class at Hogwarts!" Hermione said, still gasping for breath. The only seats that were left were in the very front row, so they put their books on the desks and sat down. Just then, a beautiful, dark-haired girl walked into the room, carrying several books.  
"That's the girl I saw on the train!" Ron whispered to Harry. Harry nodded.  
"I can't believe she's a fifth-year!" Ron hissed. "What luck we have; she must be new!"  
"But that would mean she's in Slytherin, wouldn't it?" Harry said under his breath. Ron's face fell, then brightened a few moments later.  
"She's too pretty to be a Slytherin-she must be in Gryffindor, we just haven't seen her yet!"  
No one but Ron and Harry had noticed the girl come into the room yet. Everyone else was too busy talking, laughing, or fighting to wonder who the girl was. Ron took advantage to the situation and rushed up to the girl.  
"Hello," he said pleasantly, "I'm Ron Weasley. The teacher isn't here yet, but you can sit by us. Those're my friends, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger."  
The girl seemed to be quite amused by this.  
"The teacher isn't here yet?" she asked, smiling.  
"No, but I hear she's really terrible-strict and cranky, you know, so we'd better sit down before she comes in," Ron told her.  
"I'll remember that, Ron. Strict and cranky, you say?" she repeated.  
"Oh, yes. I've had her sister, Professor McGonagall, she's the Transfiguration teacher, and she's just awful. If you so much as say one word in that class you get ten points off your house. Anyway, I've heard this new professor is just as bad; that's why I'm wondering why she's not here yet," Ron said in a rush, staring into the new girl's deep green eyes.  
"Maybe she is here, Ron," the new girl said. "Did you ever think of that?"  
"Where?" Ron asked, looking all around the room.  
"Allow me to introduce myself," she said, pulling a badge out of her pocket and handing it to Ron. "I am Professor Melinda McGonagall-Welsh."  
Ron stared at her in disbelief. But sure enough, the badge read, Hogwarts I.D. # 16884 Melinda McGonagall-Welsh, Professor; Defense Against the Dark Arts.  
"But you're not-you can't be-you're Professor McGonagall's sister?" he asked, feeling very confused.  
"Well, half-sister, actually. That's why my last name is McGonagall-Welsh, and hers is just McGonagall. I thought I'd have all my students just call me Professor Welsh, to make it easier, you know," Professor Welsh explained.  
"But you're so young!" Ron blurted out before he could help himself.  
"You flatter me, Ron, but I've been a Hogwarts graduate for...let me see, five years now. Now, if you'll excuse me, I had better start class," she said politely. Ron just stood there, still looking shocked.  
"Erm-excuse me," Professor Welsh said.  
"Oh, uh, sure. Sorry," Ron babbled, finally moving out of the way and going back to his seat. He glanced around to make sure no one had seen him make a fool of himself. Fortunately, the only people who had caught the conversation were Harry and Hermione, who were both having a good laugh at Ron's expense.  
"Laugh all you want," Ron said crossly. "I think she looks much too young to be a teacher."  
"Hello, everyone," Professor Welsh said, causing the room to become quiet. "I am Melinda McGonagall Welsh, your new teacher. Please call me Professor Welsh. Now, Professor Dumbledore has told me that you've already learned about the three Unforgivable curses last term. This year, we will be studying other curses and how to fight them. Please get out your books and turn to page 34."  
Everyone got out their books and turned to page 34 without objection, even the Slytherins.  
"Here we have the Confundus Curse, another very serious curse. When someone administers this curse, the victim of the curse will become very confused and disoriented. They may begin saying things that make no sense or doing things that they normally would not do. If a countercurse is not administered within a short time period, the victim may suffer longterm effects of the Confundus Curse. Now we will begin to work on the countercurse..."  
The Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson seemed to fly by. Before the class knew it, the bell was ringing and it was time to go to their next class. Harry, Hermione, and Ron had Advanced Charms with Professor Flitwick next, and they hurried out into the hallway so they could get to his room on time.  
"Professor Welsh seems like a really good teacher. All the stuff she teaches, it's really useful, you know?" Hermione said admiringly.  
"Yeah, she's really great. She's so smart! And really funny as well. And that was a really good lesson to start out with, I think," Ron gushed.  
"Hello, everyone!" Professor Flitwick greeted the students coming into his room. He was a tiny wizard, no more than three or four feet high, and he was standing on his chair so that the class could see him.  
"Welcome to Advanced Charms," Professor Flitwick said after the bell rang. "I thought we'd start out with-"  
"Help! Help!" someone was screaming in the hallway. It was Madam Pince, the librarian. She ran into Professor Flitwick's room.  
"The dementors-in the hallways-coming after someone-lock the doors," she babbled, breathing heavily. Ron, who was sitting closest to the door, got up and locked it, quickly.  
In a few moments, the class heard Professor Dumbledore's magnified voice echoing through the hallways.  
"I would like to ask all teachers at this time to make sure that all of their students are inside the classrooms. When every single student is inside, please lock your doors until further notice. Students who do not have a class on their schedule at this time should report to the library. Thank you and please remain calm."  
"What's going on?"  
"Another attack, do you think?"  
"What if You-Know-Who is here?"  
"He can't be! He can't be!"  
Panic had broken out across the room. Neville came over to stand by Harry looking absolutely terrified. Lavender and Parvati were practically in tears, and Dean and Seamus were looking around, nervously, their wands pointed at the ceiling.  
"Aaaaaaarrgh!"   
Suddenly Madam Pince, who had been staring through the door window out into the hallway, gave a bloodcurdling scream and fainted.  
*** 


	3. Chapter 3

All at once, everyone rushed to the door to see what Madam Pince had seen. Harry was horrified as he saw a dementor gliding towards the door. Dementors were the tall, hooded, intimidating guards of the wizarding prison, Azkaban. Dementors sucked the happiness out of people. That was what made them such effective guards-most of the prisoners in Azkaban went crazy. Harry knew that Professor Dumbledore didn't approve of dementors on school grounds, so he didn't understand why they were inside Hogwarts now. Lavender and Parvati were huddled in the back corner with a few girls from Ravenclaw. Harry pulled his wand out as the dementor reached the door. When Harry heard a soft clicking noise he realized that the dementor had unlocked the door. By now, Neville had dove into a closet towards the back of the room, and Dean and Seamus were standing in a corner with some of the Hufflepuffs. Ron and Hermione were still standing beside Harry, their wands raised uncertainly. Frantically, Harry tried to remember one of the happiest moments of his life-after the second task in the Triwizard tournament, when he found out that he was tied for first place with Cedric Diggory. Harry concentrated with all his willpower on how happy he had been, and how he, Ron, and Hermione had celebrated with the other Gryffindors.  
"Expecto Patronum!" he shouted, replaying the happy memory over and over again in his mind. A silvery white stag burst out of his wand and chased the dementor out into the corridor. Professor Flitwick pulled out his wand, pointed it at the doorway, and muttered something under his breath.  
"That'll seal the doorway from the dementors," he explained. "Thank you, Harry," he said gravely.  
"That was amazing, Harry!" Lavender Brown squealed. "What did you do to it?"  
"Harry, you saved our lives!" a Ravenclaw fifth-year gushed.  
"Yeah, Harry-where'd you learn to do that?" one of the Hufflepuff boys asked enviously. Harry blushed.  
"Professor Lupin taught it to me," he told the class. "It just sort of chases away dementors." Professor Lupin had been the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher when Harry was a third-year. At the end of the term, it was exposed that Professor Lupin was a werewolf, and he had left Hogwarts. But Harry had grown close to Lupin, and had also found out that Lupin had been a very good friend of his father's.  
A cluster of girls from Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and even Slytherin had formed around Harry.  
"That was so brave, Harry!" a Hufflepuff girl said, sighing.  
"That was so wonderful, the way you conjured up that stag," a Ravenclaw girl told him. "You're so talented."  
"Oh...it was nothing," Harry said, feeling quite uncomfortable. He made his way over to Ron and Hermione, who both had very worried looks on their faces.  
"Harry, why do you reckon the dementors were here?" Ron asked.  
"I don't know," Harry said, shrugging. "What difference does it make?"  
"Harry, don't you see?" asked Hermione impatiently. "Dumbledore would never just allow dementors to come into Hogwarts! They must be looking for someone."  
"I've no idea, Hermione. Maybe Fudge sent them in, because of the attack. I mean, who could they be looking for around here?" Harry reasoned.  
"Yeah, Hermione. You're making a big deal over nothing," Ron put in. Hermione frowned, but didn't say anything else on the matter. The three stood there in silence until they heard Dumbledore's magnified voice for the second time.  
"Classes have been cancelled for the remainder of the day. All students should report to their common rooms immediately. No students will be permitted to leave their common rooms until further notice."  
All at once students flooded into the hallways and made their way to the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin common rooms.  
"There's been another attack!" a frightened Hufflepuff screamed.  
"You-Know-Who's here at Hogwarts!" a Ravenclaw shouted.  
"He's put a curse on the entire castle!" shrieked a squeaky-voiced Gryffindor. As Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the Gryffindor common room, everyone was talking about the possibility that there had been another attack.  
"I heard it was a student and a teacher," Neville whispered, his face completely white.  
"I heard it was another Auror," Dean Thomas said.  
"A Ravenclaw told me that it was someone from the Ministry of Magic," Seamus Finnigan announced.  
"Don't be silly," Hermione said. "There hasn't been an attack at all."  
"How do you know that?" one of the second-years wanted to know.  
"How do you know there's been one?" Hermione challenged. "No one has any evidence at all."  
"But-but the dementors were in the castle!" Parvati cried. "Why would they have been in here unless there was an attack? They were looking for You-Know-Who." This set off a fresh new wave of panicked shouts and cries.  
"He's still here!"  
"He could've Apparated into this common room right this minute!"  
"YOU CAN'T APPARATE ON HOGWARTS GROUNDS!" Hermione yelled.  
"He's coming to duel with Dumbledore!"  
"He wants to take over Hogwarts!"  
All this noise was giving Harry a splitting headache. He got Ron and Hermione's attention and gestured to the staircase.  
"Come on, let's go to our room. It'll be a lot quieter," Harry said. They climbed up the steps, unnoticed, and Harry opened the door.  
"This room's a pig sty!" Hermione declared, in a rather disgusted tone.  
Indeed, it was. Robes, quills, and books were strewn across the floor. All of the posters, pictures, and portraits had been torn off the walls, and the mirror had been broken into dozens of tiny pieces. The bedcovers and sheets lay in a rumpled pile in the corner of the room. Ron spotted a single sheet of white paper laying on one of the desks.  
"Harry, you'd better have a look at this," he said, in a strange sort of voice.  
Harry went over to him and read the sheet.  
BEWARE, HARRY POTTER!  
was scrawled in dark, black ink. Hermione had rushed over to see it, too.  
"Oh, Harry," she breathed, "We've got to tell Professor McGonagall right away."  
"She's right, Harry," Ron said. "Whoever did this...who knows what they might do?" Ron's hand was trembling as he handed the sheet to Harry. Harry nodded slowly and went back into the common room to get Professor McGonagall. When he found her, she was trying, unsuccessfully, to calm some of the screaming first-years.  
"Er-Professor, may I have a word with you?" Harry asked. He showed Professor McGonagall the paper, trying not to let anyone else see. She looked at him questioningly.  
"Could you, uh, come into my room please? I have to show you something," he said, trying not to attract attention to himself. Professor McGonagall nodded and followed him into his room.  
"When I got in here, we found it like this. And this note was on the desk," he explained. Professor McGonagall's mouth got very thin.  
"You've got to see Dumbledore right away. Come with me." She led him down two flights of stairs. On one side of this floor were five doors, each leading to student dormitories. On the other side was a door made of darker wood, Professor McGonagall's bedroom. She took a key out of her pocket, unlocked the door, and entered her room. Harry stood by the door, feeling quite uncomfortable.   
"Come in, Potter," she said, a little exasperated. Harry placed a foot into the room tentatively, feeling very out of place. The room was a little larger than the dormitory he shared with Ron, Seamus, Dean, and Neville, and was covered in plush, scarlet carpeting. A four-poster bed was placed off to the right, and on the left was a large, elegant rolltop desk. Bookcases lined the back walls along with a brick fireplace, and Harry was surprised to see a photo of a much-younger Professor McGonagall hanging up above the desk. In it, Harry noted, she looked a little like Professor Welsh. Professor McGonagall had pulled out her wand and tapped a brick above the fireplace. The fireplace suddenly swung open to reveal a dark passageway.  
"Light your wand, Potter, and follow the passageway until you reach a gold door. You will find yourself directly outside of the headmaster's office. And-er, don't tell anyone else about this," she told him, speaking very quickly. "Go on, now."  
"Lumos!" Harry muttered, and a light appeared at the end of his wand. He entered the passageway and began walking. After three flights of stairs, four right turns, and one left turn, he found the gold door. He pushed it open and sure enough, he was in the hallway outside Dumbledore's office. Puzzled, he glanced behind him. Instead of the other side of the gold door, there was just a wooden wall covered by a Hogwarts tapestry featuring one of the past headmasters. Harry smiled. Hogwarts had so many secrets. As he was about to knock on the door of the headmaster's office, he suddenly heard voices.  
"There is simply no excuse, Cornelius," Dumbledore said gravely. "You endangered the lives of my students by bringing them in here, against my express wishes."  
"But, Albus, you must try to understand!" said a tired-sounding voice. It was Cornelius Fudge, the English Minister of Magic. "If, indeed, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is going after the-"  
"Cornelius, why don't you just say his name? Voldemort," Dumbledore said calmly.  
"Because, Albus...that is to say...er..." Fudge fumbled for words.  
"Cornelius, this simply must not happen again. I don't care what the Ministry decides; I am, after all, the headmaster of this school. Dementors are not welcome on school grounds. If you continue to violate my wishes, I will be forced to take action about this. I'm sure the parents wouldn't like it if they knew that their children were being subjected to dementors," Dumbledore said firmly.  
"Yes, Albus, of course-it's just that, well, I thought that, er..." Fudge stammered.  
Suddenly, an ice-cold hand grabbed Harry's shoulder.  
"Harry Potter! Out after strict orders from the headmaster for all students to stay in their common rooms! Well, well, well," said a particularly gleeful voice. Harry spun around. It was Professor Snape. "But Professor McGonagall-" Harry began to explain, but Snape interrupted.  
"And in a hallway which is forbidden to students! Surely you can't explain that away, can you, Potter?" Snape taunted. Harry had been caught by Snape on several occasions when he had been out of his common room, but no severe punishment had ever resulted, much to Snape's chagrin. Professor Dumbledore must have heard their exchange because he opened the door to his office immediately.  
"Severus, what on earth is going on?" he asked mildly. Snape couldn't keep a smile from creeping onto his face.  
"Headmaster, I have just found Harry Potter in this passageway, after you gave specific orders for students to stay in their common rooms," Snape told Dumbledore. Dumbledore nodded slowly, then stroked his beard and gestured for Snape and Harry to come into his office, where Cornelius Fudge was pacing.  
"Harry, what is the meaning of this?" Dumbledore asked kindly.  
"Well, Professor," Harry began, "I went up to my room tonight and it was a terrible mess. The mirror was broken, robes and quills were all over the floor, the beds had been torn apart-"  
"I hardly think that that is reason enough-" Snape began to argue.  
"Quiet, Severus!" Dumbledore put up a hand. "Please continue, Harry."  
"Anyway, this note was on the desk," Harry said, handing Dumbledore the sheet of paper.  
"Beware, Harry Potter," Dumbledore read aloud. Fudge looked up, startled.  
"You don't think-" Fudge began to say.  
"No, I do not, Cornelius. I do think, however, that someone who means to harm you, Harry, and that it would probably be best if you stayed with me tonight." Dumbledore's words surprised Harry. He suddenly realized that he had no idea where Dumbledore's living quarters were.  
"Uh...all right," Harry said, feeling quite awkward at the prospect of spending the night in Dumbledore's quarters.  
"But-Headmaster, that does not excuse the fact that Potter was in this hallway!" Snape cried, looking extremely agitated.  
"Professor McGonagall gave me her permission, sir," Harry told Dumbledore. The headmaster nodded.  
"Severus, please give Harry a break. It's been a rather rough start of term-for all of us."  
The look Snape was giving Harry was positively venomous. If the circumstances had been less grim, Harry probably would have laughed.  
"Severus, what did you come here for?" Dumbledore asked. Harry noticed that the headmaster looked older and more tired than Harry had ever seen him.  
"Oh-er, yes. Well, it's a rather...private matter. I'd prefer if-"  
"Of course, Severus. Harry, Cornelius, would you please wait outside?"  
Cornelius Fudge opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but Dumbledore gave him a stern look, and he followed Harry out of the office.  
"Harry, it's actually for the best that I've got you alone," Fudge said in a low voice once the door was closed.  
"Uh...why, sir?" Harry asked, very confused.  
"There are some things that you must be aware of, Harry," Fudge continued. "Certain people...don't think you should be told. But I believe it's absolutely necessary that you know now." 


	4. Chapter 4

"Perhaps we'd better sit down," the Minister of Magic suggested, pointing to a wooden bench on one side of the dark corridor. Harry nodded and sat down.  
"Harry, this may come as a bit of a shock to you," Fudge said seriously, looking Harry straight in the eyes. "But the Dark Lord...He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named...is after you."  
"Er-yes, I've sort of known that for a while, sir," Harry said, holding back a grin.  
"No, Harry, you don't know." The ominous tone of Fudge's voice surprised Harry. "He doesn't just want to kill you, Harry. He's tried that before and failed. The Ministry of Magic has reason to believe that the Dark Lord wants to..." Fudge trailed off, looking very forlorn.  
"What is it?" Harry asked anxiously.  
"He wants to use you to make his powers greater than ever. He wants to use you to find the Chest of Promises." With that, Fudge sighed in relief, as if a great burden had been taken off his shoulders.  
"But...I don't understand," Harry told Fudge.  
"There are certain things that he can't do by himself," Fudge explained. "Getting into Hogwarts is one of them, because of the Chest of Promises. Have you heard of the Chest?"  
Harry nodded.  
"Well, You-Know-Who has been searching for the Chest since last year, when he returned to power. Do you see what an asset it would be for him?" Fudge asked, staring at Harry intently.  
"Well, sir, anyone could just Apparate and Disapparate on Hogwarts grounds, and that way Voldemort could do whatever he wanted, right?" Harry said carefully. Fudge winced when he heard "Voldemort".  
"Yes, Harry, but that's not all. There are other things the Chest-"  
But Fudge was interrupted by Snape, who came out of Dumbledore's office and trudged through the hallway, elbowing Harry in the process.  
"You may come back in now," Dumbledore called. Fudge went into the office reluctantly, and Harry went over and stood next to Fawkes, Dumbledore's scarlet and gold phoenix. Fawkes was resting on a gold perch hanging from the ceiling, and Harry stroked the bird's beautiful plumage affectionately. Although he had been in Dumbledore's office several times, he was still amazed and intrigued by Dumbledore's belongings. There were bookcases and shelves of unusual objects and instruments lining the paneled walls, along with statues, oddly-shaped furniture, and paintings of Hogwarts' past headmasters and headmistresses. One of the headmistresses was waving and winking at Harry. He blushed and took a seat next to Fudge.  
"Well, then, Albus, I guess my business is finished here, then...I'll-er-see you in a bit. Perhaps I'll stop by tomorrow," Fudge said, fidgeting with his hands.  
"Well, Cornelius, I do hope you'll think about what I said," Dumbledore said sternly, but Harry thought he saw a twinkle in the headmaster's bright blue eyes.  
"Goodbye, Albus. Nice to see you again, Harry. And be sure to keep those marks up!" Fudge said with a nervous sort of laugh. Then, with a sudden popping noise, he was gone, having apparated to his next destination.  
Harry and Dumbledore sat in silence for a few minutes.  
"Ah, Harry," Dumbledore finally spoke up, looking at Harry as if he had just noticed him. "I'm actually rather glad that you're here. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised..."  
Dumbledore got up from his desk and went over to one of the bookcases. He selected one of the books from the second shelf, and as soon as he tapped it with his wand, the bookcase swung backwards like a door. He stepped through it, and Harry followed. He couldn't believe what he saw. The room itself was extraordinary-it was filled with curious-looking trinkets and souvenirs, colored doorways, furniture and artwork, and a magnificent four-poster bed. But best of all were the four people sitting in armchairs by the fireplace: Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and a dark-haired witch and bald wizard whom Harry had never seen before.  
"Is this-?" the witch asked, her blue eyes filling with tears as they took in the dark, unruly hair, the lightning-bolt scar, and the green eyes.  
"Yes, this is Harry," Sirius said quietly.  
"Good to see you," Lupin said, getting up and shaking Harry's hand. They hadn't seen each other since the end of Harry's third year at Hogwarts.  
"This is Arabella Figg," Sirius introduced. "And this is Mundungus Fletcher...they were both very good friends of your parents, Harry."  
"Hello," Harry said, feeling rather awkward. "Nice to meet you."  
Arabella was still staring at the scar, while Mundungus was looking into Harry's eyes.  
"Same eyes as Lily...but he's got James' hair..." Mundungus said quietly. "It's good to finally meet you, Harry."  
"Remus, you'll be pleased to hear that Harry successfully conjured a Patronus today," Dumbledore said. Lupin gave Harry a curious look.  
"During Charms...Madam Pince ran in, there was a dementor at the door..." he explained, looking down at the floor.  
"Excellent, Harry," Lupin said.  
"Why were dementors at Hogwarts, Dumbledore?" Sirius asked sharply.  
"Fudge felt it was necessary," Dumbledore said, "for some reason."  
"So that's why he was here," Sirius muttered. "Idiot."  
"But no one was harmed, Dumbledore?" Arabella Figg asked. Dumbledore shook his head. Arabella turned her attention back to Harry.  
"You're a fifth-year, Harry?" she asked him.  
"Yes," he said.  
"I've heard so much about you from Remus and Sirius-Gryffindor Seeker, one of the top students in your class...and you must have so many friends."  
Harry nodded, feeling his cheeks go red. Then a thought suddenly occurred to Harry.  
"Professor-we will be having Quidditch this year, won't we?"  
Professor Dumbledore chuckled at the alarm on Harry's face.  
"I see no reason to discontinue Quidditch matches as of yet," Dumbledore assured Harry.  
"But what happened last year--" Mundungus began to say.  
"Will not happen again," Dumbledore said, in a rather firm manner. "For now, I think we all could do with some rest. We'll talk more in the morning."  
Sirius, Remus, and Mundungus said good night and retreated to the guest bedroom they would be staying in. Then Dumbledore led Arabella to the room she would sleep in. Harry followed, and was in complete awe. The moment you stepped into the room, it felt as if you were floating in midair. The floor was invisible; all Harry could see below him were miles and miles of black, velvety sky, sprinkled with tiny, shimmering stars. Harry couldn't see walls or a ceiling, either. But he could see all nine planets, including the Earth, and the moon. Harry looked back at where he had entered the room from. Sure enough, there was a silver door sparkling through the darkness. A few feet away from Harry, Dumbledore, and Arabella was a bed covered by a lavender canopy and a large, overstuffed pink armchair. They seemed to be suspended in the air by invisible cables.  
"I like to sit in here and think," Dumbledore said. "It's very relaxing."  
The three stood for a moment, staring at the magnificent view.  
"Well, good night, my dear," Dumbledore said kindly.  
"Good night," Arabella called. "And thank you!"  
Dumbledore and Harry went back to Dumbledore's bedroom, where the headmaster presented Harry with a pair of pin-striped pajamas.  
"These should fit..." Dumbledore muttered. "The bathroom's right through that door," he told Harry, pointing to a white door next to one of the bookcases. The bathroom turned out to be circular, and even nicer than the prefects' bathroom at Hogwarts, which Harry had been in the previous year. Dumbledore's bathtub was big enough to fit Hagrid with room to spare, which was no easy feat. It had at least two dozen white marble taps, and Harry tested a few of them before getting in the tub. Soon, different-colored foams, bubbles, and scents were whirling through the air. Harry discovered one tap which made a fountain of blue water shoot up from the center of the tub. Within a few minutes, Harry had relaxed and forgotten about everything that had happened. He must have drifted off to sleep, because the next thing he knew he was sitting up with a jolt. He quickly got out of the tub and dressed in the pinstripe pajamas. When he returned to Dumbledore's room, he was surprised to see another bed, next to Dumbledore's. It had a green comforter and a dark wooden frame.  
"Ah, Harry," Professor Dumbledore said, looking up from the book he was reading by candlelight in his own bed. "I dare say you look quite refreshed." Harry nodded and climbed into the second bed.  
"Good night, Professor Dumbledore."  
"Good night, Harry."  
***  
"Time to wake up, Harry!"  
Harry yawned. Sirius was yanking off the covers of his bed.  
"What time is it, Sirius?" he asked, rubbing his eyes sleepily. For a moment, he couldn't remember where he was-then the events of the last night came rushing back to him.  
"Here, Harry," Lupin said, handing him some robes and a toothbrush. "I went over to Gryffindor tower and got these from Ron."  
"Thanks," Harry mumbled, going into the bathroom. He splashed some cold water on his face, got dressed, and brushed his teeth. When he came out of the bathroom, Lupin was waiting for him along with a large black dog.  
"Sirius can't very well go down and eat at the Head Table with the rest of us," Lupin explained, gesturing to the dog. "So Padfoot will be attending breakfast with me." Sirius was an Animagi, a wizard who could turn himself into an animal. He couldn't be seen by the students because they all thought he was a dark wizard and a murderer, when in fact the crime had been committed by Peter Pettigrew, one of Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters, and the very person who had resulted in the deaths of Harry's parents.  
The three left Dumbledore's quarters, walking out into the dark passageway and stepping onto the spinning golden staircase. When they reached the bottom, Harry pushed open the hidden door, and they were back in one of the Hogwarts' corridors.  
"So, what do you think of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Harry?" Lupin asked.  
"She's alright," Harry said truthfully. "Not as interesting as you, but she seems like she knows a lot."  
Lupin chuckled.  
"You're too kind, Harry," he said, but the end of his sentence was drowned out by the noise as they reached the entrance of the Great Hall.  
"I'll see you later tonight, Harry!" Lupin called as he and Sirius walked over to the Head Table.  
"Okay!" Harry shouted back as he made his way over to the Gryffindor table.   
"Harry! Over here!" Hermione was waving her arms. Harry went over and took a seat across from her, and next to Ron.  
"What happened last night, Harry?" Hermione asked anxiously. "Why's Lupin back? And who are those people at the Head Table?"  
"Stop with the interrogation, Hermione. Give Harry a break," Ron said through a mouthful of eggs. Hermione rolled her eyes at him. Harry began eating his own breakfast, which had appeared on his plate the moment he'd sat down. When he was finished chewing, he told Ron and Hermione everything that had happened the previous night.  
"So Siri-I mean, Snuffles, is back, too?" Ron asked, using their code word for Sirius.  
"Yes. He's sitting next to Lupin at the Head Table right now," Harry told him.  
"But Harry, why are they all here in the first place? You never told us!" Hermione said impatiently. Harry realized that he'd forgotten to ask.  
"Er-I don't really know, Hermione," he said.  
"But you did ask them what they were doing here, didn't you?" she asked.  
"Uh, no, not really...It was all really quick," Harry said lamely.  
"I can't believe you didn't ask them! It could have something to do with the Chest!" she cried. "We've got to find out right away-I just hope they don't leave today--"  
What Hermione said jogged Harry's memory.  
"Oh, I almost forgot," he interrupted Hermione. "Fudge told me something about the Chest...sort of." He repeated to Ron and Hermione what Fudge had told him.  
"How could you almost forget?" Hermione screeched.  
"Oh, give it a rest, Hermione. Does Dumbledore think it was You-Know-Who last night, in our dormitory?" Ron asked worriedly.  
"I don't know...I never thought of that," Harry admitted.  
"That's ridiculous," Hermione said, but she didn't sound as confident as usual. "How would he get in here?"  
"I don't know, Hermione, I'm just saying it's possible!" Ron said. "And besides, if it wasn't You-Know-Who, then who was it?"  
"I don't know!" Hermione said. "But I'm sure it wasn't You-Know-Who." And with that, she put her nose into the air and left the table.  
"And where are you going now?" Ron called after her. "The library?"  
"For your information, that's exactly where I'm going!" Hermione cried without looking back.   
Ron turned back around to face Harry.  
"What's gotten into her lately?" 


	5. Chapter 5

***  
Later that day, after Advanced Charms, Hermione pulled Harry aside.  
"When are you going to see Sirius next?" she hissed as the rest of the class filed out of the room. Harry shrugged.  
"Lupin said something about later on tonight," he told Hermione.  
"Well, what time? Where?" she demanded.  
"Er...I don't really know. He didn't really say," Harry said, feeling stupid.  
"Harry! I can't believe this! This is the perfect opportunity to learn more about the Chest...and why they're all here!" Hermione cried. At that moment, Ron poked his head through the doorway.  
"What are you two doing? We're going to be late for Potions!" Ron said. Harry gladly followed Ron out into the hallway, and Hermione rushed after them.  
"Well, what are we going to do?" she continued.  
"What's the matter now, Hermione?" Ron asked in a bored tone.  
"We could have asked Sirius and Lupin loads of questions about the Chest and what they think You-Know-Who's up to now, but Harry here doesn't seem to know when we can meet with them!" Hermione said, her eyes blazing. "For all we know, they could be leaving Hogwarts right now!"  
"Calm down, Hermione," Ron said. "We'll meet up with them at dinner tonight, I'm sure. Now let's get to Potions, before Snape has our heads!"  
The three rushed down to one of the larger dungeons, where the Gryffindors had Potions class with the Slytherins. Even worse than being in a class with Draco Malfoy was the fact that Professor Snape taught Potions. Just as Harry, Ron, and Hermione slid into their seats, the bell rang.  
"Five points from Gryffindor, Potter, Weasley, and Granger!" Snape snarled. "Each!"  
"For what?" Ron cried.  
"For being late," Snape said. "And for your cheek, Weasley, all three of you get a detention as well!"  
Hermione scowled at Ron for getting her a detention she didn't deserve.  
"But Professor, they were in their seats when the bell rang," Seamus Finnigan pointed out.  
"Another five points from Gryffindor, Finnigan!" Snape declared loudly.   
"Get out your cauldrons!" Snape commanded. "Today we are going to be using dragon's blood to concoct a Shrinking Potion..."  
Harry sighed. It was going to be a long class.  
***  
"Well, we survived!" Ron said when they were safely in the corridor outside of Snape's dungeon.  
"Just barely!" Hermione cried. "We lost 20 points for Gryffindor and we all got a detention."  
"Oh, whatever. We'll get a Gryffindor lead once Quidditch starts up again," Harry reassured Hermione.  
Every year the four Hogwarts houses competed for the Interhouse Cup. Whichever house had the most points at the end of the year won the coveted cup.  
"Speaking of Quidditch," Ron began, "isn't the-Hermione, where are you going?" he asked as Hermione took a sudden left turn on their way to the common room.  
"The library, of course," she sniffed.  
"But why?" Ron asked. "We haven't got any homework or exams to study for yet!"  
"Oh, for heaven's sake, Ron, we've got O.W.L.s coming up this year!" Hermione said indignantly. Ordinary Wizarding Levels were a test witches and wizards took in their fifth year in Hogwarts.  
"But Hermione-they're not for ages!" Ron cried. "We've got all year to worry about them."  
Harry didn't say anything, but privately, he agreed with Ron. They had the entire term to study for the O.W.L.s.  
"You just don't get it, do you, Ron?" Hermione said, exasperated. "This is the most important examination we'll ever take! It will shape our future! It will-"  
"All right, we get it!" Ron said, putting up a hand. Hermione shook her head reprovingly at Ron and set off for the library.  
"Harry! Ron!" someone called from behind them. Harry turned around. It was Neville, running through the corridor, clutching something in his hands.  
"M-M-Malfoy shrank Trevor," Nevile stammered, holding out his hand. Trevor, Neville's toad, who was normally a few inches long and rather fat, had shrunk so much that he was smaller than a Golden Snitch.  
"H-h-he said that if I didn't stop him from shrinking, that T-T-Trevor would disappear!" Neville wailed. Sure enough, Trevor was getting smaller and smaller each moment.  
"Don't worry, Neville, I'm sure someone will know the counterspell," Harry said kindly.  
"Say, Neville, Hermione just went to the library," Ron said. "Let's go after her." So the three boys rushed to the library, ignoring a burst of laughter from a group of Slytherins at the end of the hallway. As Harry hurried through the doorway, he ran into a girl, almost knocking her over. He was horrified to see that it was Professor Welsh.  
"I'm sorry," he apologized, his cheeks turning red. She smiled and bent down to pick up the thick, leather volume she had dropped.  
"It's quite all right," she said. Then she noticed Neville's red, watery eyes. "Neville, what's the matter?"  
Neville held out Trevor.  
"Draco Malfoy shrank him, Professor," Ron said quickly.  
"Is he g-g-going to disappear, Professor?" Neville asked.  
"No, Neville, don't worry," Professor Welsh said. "Your toad will be just fine. I know just the antidote."  
"Thank you, Professor!" Neville said gratefully.  
"I'll meet you back here in an hour, all right, Neville?" she asked.  
"Okay," Neville agreed. With that, she left the library, balancing Trevor carefully on top of the thick, leather book.  
"That was nice of her," Ron remarked after Professor Welsh had left.  
"I see you two changed your minds," Hermione said, coming up behind them.  
"Not really," Ron said, and explained what had happened to Trevor.  
"Poor Trevor," Hermione said. "You'd think Malfoy would've learned a little maturity by now!"  
Madam Pince shushed them from her desk in the corner of the library.  
Hermione rolled her eyes.  
"Well, are you going to study, or what?" Hermione asked. "I'm going to get back to my books now..." She gestured to a stack of books on one of the tables near the back.  
"Well, we have got an hour until Professor Welsh comes back," Harry said. So the three boys sat at the table next to Hermione's and leafed through books on history, spells, curses, countercurses, enchantments, potions, hexes, and jinxes. An hour passed quickly, and Professor Welsh returned with Trevor, who looked none worse for the wear.  
"Thank you, Professor!" Neville cried.  
"You're welcome, Neville," she smiled. After that, the three boys left the library, and Hermione promised to meet up with them at dinner. On their way back to the common room, they ran into Malfoy and a gang of his Slytherin friends.  
"How's the toad, Longbottom?" he taunted.  
"He's f-f-fine!" Neville cried, holding up Trevor. Harry and Ron laughed when they saw the expression on Malfoy's face when he saw that his Shrinking Potion hadn't lasted long enough to have permanent effects. As they made their way back to the common room, Angelina Johnson grabbed Harry. Angelina was a pretty seventh-year who was Head Girl and captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.  
"Harry, we're having a team meeting tonight," Angelina told him. "6 o'clock in the common room." Harry nodded.  
"That's what I was trying to ask you before," Ron said. "You're going to need a new Keeper this year, right?" Oliver Wood, who had been Keeper for the Gryffindor team since Harry was a first-year, had graduated.  
"I guess so," Harry said.  
"Do you think I have a shot at it?" Ron asked hopefully.  
"Sure," Harry said truthfully. "I hope you get it." 


	6. Chapter 6

Later that evening, Harry sat in one of the scarlet and gold armchairs in the Gryffindor common room, staring at the fireplace.  
"Well, Harry, what do you think?" Angelina asked, interrupting Harry's thoughts. Angelina and the other members of the Quidditch team had been arguing for nearly an hour about who the new Keeper should be.  
"Er-what did you say, Angelina?" Harry said. He hadn't been paying attention.  
"Do you think we should hold open try-outs for a Keeper?" Angelina repeated her question.  
"I don't know-but what about Ron?" Harry said, remembering what Ron had told him earlier that day.  
"Ron?" Katie Bell asked doubtfully.  
"Ron Weasley?" Alicia Spinnet echoed uncertainly.   
Katie and Alicia were both seventh-year Chasers for the Quidditch team.  
"He's-he's...good," Harry said lamely. The truth was, he didn't really know if Ron was a good Keeper or not. He'd only played Quidditch with him a few times, and Ron had never been Keeper.  
"Our brother?" George cried.  
"Not Ron!" Fred said. "He'd destroy the Weasley name."  
"I still think we should have open try-outs," Angelina said.  
"I agree," Katie said.  
"What about the rest of you?" Angelina asked.  
Everyone nodded.  
"Fine, then." She pushed away her chair and stood up.  
"For all students who are in their second year and above and would like to play Keeper on the Quidditch team, there will be open try-outs tomorrow night at seven o'clock on the Quidditch field."  
An excited buzz went through the room.  
Harry looked down, avoiding Ron's questioning gaze.  
Later, in the dorm, Seamus and Dean were talking anxiously about try-outs.  
"I've wanted to be Keeper ever since I learned to play Quidditch," Dean said.  
"I just want to be on the team," Seamus said.  
"What happened at the meeting?" Ron asked Harry quietly.  
"I brought your name up, Ron," Harry said honestly. "But..." he trailed off, not wanting to tell Ron what had happened.  
"Whatever," Ron said bitterly. "It doesn't matter." With that, he blew out the light at the tip of his wand and went under the covers of his bed. Harry did the same, frowning. He felt like he'd let Ron down, and now Ron was mad at him. Frustrated, he tried to concentrate on a happier thought. He just hoped that Ron would have a great try-out tomorrow for the Quidditch team. Then Ron couldn't possibly be mad at him.  
***  
The next morning, all anyone could talk about were the Quidditch try-outs that were being held that evening. Even students from other houses were speculating about who the new Keeper would be.  
"I hear Longbottom wants to try out," Draco Malfoy said loudly as Neville walked passed the Slytherin table. "As if that clod could even stay on a broomstick for more than a few seconds!" Neville's cheeks flushed as laughter erupted from the Slytherins.  
"Oh, shut up, Malfoy!" Ron shouted. "The only reason you're on the Slytherin team is because your father paid for it!"  
"At least my father can afford to, Weasley!" Malfoy retorted. Harry and Hermione had to hold Ron back to keep him from hitting Malfoy.  
"He's not worth it," Hermione reminded Ron. They kept walking and sat down at the Gryffindor table.  
"I've decided to try out for Keeper," Parvati Patil announced.  
"Ha! You haven't got a chance," Lavender Brown scoffed.  
"What do you mean, I haven't got a chance?" Parvati squealed.  
"I just mean, you aren't much of a Quidditch player. I think that Seamus is going to be the new Keeper," she gushed, smiling brightly at Seamus.  
"Nah, I think it's going to be Dean," Seamus said, ignoring Lavender.  
"But it could be anyone, couldn't it?" Ginny Weasley put in, seeing her brother's face going red.  
"You're right, Ginny," Harry said quickly. "It could be anyone."  
The day passed slowly. First was double Potions, which was always unbearable. The class was working with dragon blood, and Malfoy purposely spilled some onto Neville's hands. Ugly red welts suddenly sprang up on Neville's hands, and Snape disgustedly sent him to Madam Pomfrey.  
"Now, who can tell me the person responsible for discovering the twelve uses of dragon blood?" Snape asked the class.  
Hermione was the only person who raised her hand.  
"Finnigan? Thomas? Patil? Brown?" Snape looked at each one reprovingly. "What about you, Weasley?" he asked, obviously expecting Ron not to know the answer, either.  
"Professor Dumbledore, sir," Ron said, looking him straight in the eye.  
Snape was taken aback.  
"But can you recite them, Weasley?" he asked once he had regained his composure. Ron shook his head.  
"Very well. Five points from Gryffindor; you should know them all by now."  
Class continued that way until the last few minutes of the second half, when Professor Welsh came in.  
"Severus, I have something to ask you," she said, smiling brightly at him. Professor Snape hurried over to her, and they began discussing something quietly. Suddenly, sparks from someone's wand misfired and landed on Professor Snape's desk, causing some spare parchment to light on fire. As smoke filled the dungeon, Snape muttered a quick spell, and water shot out of his wand and onto the fire, extinguishing it in less than a minute.  
"All right, who is responsible for this?" Snape demanded once the smoke began to clear up. No one said a word. Snape's glaring eyes passed over each student slowly until they came to a rest on Harry.   
"It was you, Potter! Don't try to deny it-I know it was you!" Snape cried, glaring at Harry.  
"It wasn't Harry, sir, I was right here the whole time," Hermione said.  
"Quiet!" Snape screamed. "Potter, I-"  
"Professor Snape," Professor Welsh interrupted him, "Please don't blame Harry for this. I'm sure it was just an accident. There's no need for anyone to be punished," she said gently. Snape's angry expression softened a little.  
"Well-fine, then. Class is dismissed!" he said, shocking the class. Snape had never dismissed class early before. Snape just wanted to make a good impression on Professor Welsh, Harry realized as he followed the other fifth-years out the door. He was positively beaming as he explained to her how to concoct some sort of potion. Harry had never seen that sort of expression on Snape's face before. It was rather amusing.  
"Hey, Ron!" Harry called, spotting a flash of red hair. "Wait up!" But Ron kept on walking to their next class of the day, double Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall. Harry took his seat and opened his Transfiguration book. He looked over the previous night's homework and thought about what would happen that night if Ron didn't become Keeper. He'll probably never speak to me again, Harry thought miserably.  
As soon as the bell rang, Professor McGonagall announced that the class would be taking practice O.W.L. examinations. Everyone groaned except for Hermione.  
"The O.W.L.s are an exceptionally important part of your magical career," Professor McGonagall said disapprovingly. "You are all to take them very seriously. The exam we will be taking today is about sixty minutes long and will prepare you for the written portion of the O.W.L.s."  
She passed out the tests, quills, and inkbottles and told them to begin.  
Harry read the first and second questions.  
  
1. What is the spell for lighting the tip of a wand?  
2. What is the spell for making the light go out?  
  
This isn't so bad, Harry thought, scribbling down "Lumos" and "Nox" for 1 & 2. Then he read questions 3-14.  
  
3-14. List the 12 uses of dragon's blood.  
  
Although Snape had just taught an entire lesson on the uses of dragon's blood, Harry couldn't seem to remember more than four of them. He decided to skip ahead to number 15 and go back to the dragon's blood question later.  
  
15. What is the spell that will repel a dementor?  
  
Expecto Patronum, Harry wrote quickly, remembering the spell all too well.  
  
16. From where does the Acromantula originate?  
  
Harry shuddered as he wrote "Borneo" on the exam, recalling his own meeting with an Acromantula in the Hogwarts forest. He and Ron had come across one of the eight-eyed spiders, who told them he was a friend of Hagrid's, in their second year at Hogwarts. The things Hagrid befriended…  
  
17-19. What are the three most famous accomplishments of   
Paracelsus?  
  
The name sounded familiar to Harry, but he couldn't think of any accomplishments.  
  
The test went on like that, some questions easy, others rather difficult, until the final question (50. What is the name of the dark wizard Albus Dumbledore defeated in 1945?), to which he wrote "Grindelwald."  
Harry sighed, happy to be finished with the exam, and turned his parchment over. Much to his dismay, he saw that there were more questions on the back. Muttering, he picked his quill up again and read questions 51-54.  
  
51-54. List at least 4 types of dragons.  
  
Harry was confident that he could name more than 4 dragons, having had first-hand experience with a Norwegian Ridgeback (51) and a Hungarian Horntail (52). He also wrote Common Welsh Green (53) and Swedish Short Snout (54).  
  
55. What potion can transfigure the maker into another person or   
creature?  
  
Harry knew that one, Polyjuice Potion, but not the next two, which were about other potions he wasn't familiar with. And when he got to number 58, he groaned loudly, earning himself a stern look from Professor McGonagall.  
  
58. Compose an essay describing the differences between human and  
object transfiguration.  
  
Reluctantly, Harry dipped his quill into his inkbottle and began to write his essay. He knew he had better do a good job on it because McGonagall would surely look at it, Transfiguration being her own subject. After a little while, he was satisfied with it and moved on to the next set of questions, which were about various witches and wizards from history. He didn't have much difficulty until number 74 (Name three magical plants, where they originated, and their uses). Harry spent nearly five minutes trying to decide whether asphodel was originally from Scotland or Ireland. It took him even longer to recall the uses of monksbane. When he finished his essay, jotting down a few sentences about gillyweed, he realized that he only had about ten minutes left. The next ten questions concerned magical beasts including grindylows, boggarts, and Kappas. Harry remembered learning about them in Lupin's class. The last set of questions on the test were fairly easy; they tested knowledge of simple charms, spells, and incantations. Harry finished just a few seconds before Professor McGonagall told the students to pass their papers in. Neville was still writing furiously with his quill when Dean tried to pass his parchment up, and ink splattered everywhere. Dean glared at Neville until Hermione performed a spell to clean up the ink. Once Professor McGonagall had collected all of the tests, she took them to her desk and began grading them while the class squirmed.  
"Hmmm...nice essay on plants, Miss Patil. I wish I could say the same for your piece on Transfiguration," she said reproachfully as Parvati winced and fidgeted in her seat.  
"It might interest you, Mr. Finnegan, to know that there is no such thing as the Norwegian Hunchback Dragon; rather, it's the Norwegian Ridgeback," she said a little while later as Seamus nervously fiddled with the Irish charm he wore around his neck. Draco Malfoy choked back laughter.  
"I wouldn't be laughing if I were you, Mr. Malfoy, someone who can't even name three plants and their uses correctly," McGonagall said, shutting Malfoy up.  
"Mr. Weasley, I suggest you study up on historical witches and wizards…Miss Brown, you could do with a bit of extra work with magical beasts…Goyle, essay questions cannot be answered with 'yes' and 'no'…" And she went on this way until she had insulted nearly everyone in the class.  
"Well, well, well. I must say these scores are not where they should be. But I also must give the appropriate credit to Miss Granger and Mr. Potter. Miss Granger received nearly a perfect paper and Mr. Potter wasn't far behind," she said, a slight smile on her lips. "Therefore, I award ten points to Gryffindor for Miss Granger and five points for Mr. Potter." Hermione beamed and Harry looked down, embarrassed. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ron and Malfoy giving him identical glares. Just then, the bell rang.  
*** 


End file.
